It’s Final Four week and as all of the fans and media anxiously await for the Saturday evening to arrive, the on-air crew at Turner Sports is preparing to broadcast its first-ever national semifinals. We all know and love Ernie Johnson for the tremendously entertaining work he does on the best sports show on television, Inside the NBA, but during this upcoming weekend he will again cross over into our world as the primary NCAA host for the Final Four (TBS) and the National Championship Game (CBS). In this special Rush the Takes podblast, Ernie discusses how he and colleagues Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith prepare for their annual foray into the NCAA Tournament, what Turner has in store for the Final Four with its innovative “Teamcasts,” and whether RTC might be the long-awaited sponsorship opportunity for EJ’s Neat-O Stat of the Night. Oh, and he may have also done a Chuck and Shaq impression or two. It’s fantastic stuff, and we really hope you give it a listen.

Ernie Johnson Spoke With Us About the Upcoming Final Four

Be sure to add the RTC Podcast to your lineup on iTunes so that you’ll get all of our ongoing coverage throughout the NCAA Tournament.

This was a really fun RTC Podcast. In this, our Final Four Preview Edition, the guys spend the first half of the show revisiting many of our takes from the preseason and throughout the season on each of the Final Four teams: Florida, UConn, Wisconsin and Kentucky. It’s compelling stuff, both in how spot on we could be about these teams at certain points of the season, and how off we could also be at others. We then broke down the two upcoming games Saturday and revisited the #cheerfortheears meme, the reward of which will be collected on Friday night in the great city of Dallas. The full rundown is below. Join us!

Four Teams Remain

Be sure to add the RTC Podcast to your lineup on iTunes so that you’ll get all of our ongoing coverage throughout the NCAA Tournament.

• 0:00-8:48 – Trip Down Memory Lane: Florida
• 8:48-17:45 – Trip Down Memory Lane: UConn
• 17:45-24:36 – Trip Down Memory Lane: Wisconsin
• 24:36-36:13 – Trip Down Memory Lane: Kentucky
• 36:13-39:00 – Reflecting on the Archive Carnage
• 39:00-44:57 – UConn vs. Florida Preview
• 44:57-50:30 – Wisconsin vs. Kentucky Preview
• 50:30-52:26 – #CheerForTheEars

We’re down to four teams left standing en route to the 2014 Final Four. But before we start breaking down those games and everything else associated with what should be a fantastic weekend in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the guys take the time to review the four games that comprised a gripping Elite Eight. On this week’s RTC Podcast, we break down Wisconsin, Florida, Connecticut and Kentucky’s wins, focusing on the things they’re doing well and some of the key storylines surrounding each game that sent them to the ultimate dance party.

The full rundown is below. Be sure to add the podcast to your lineup on iTunes so that you’ll get all of our ongoing coverage throughout the NCAA Tournament.

• 0:00-12:37 – Wisconsin Earns Bo Ryan His First Final Four
• 12:37-18:18 – Florida’s Seniors Finally Get Their Final Four Trip
• 18:18-23:32 – UConn Rides Shabazz and Home Crowd Past Michigan State
• 23:32-30:18 – Kentucky More Than Just Flipping the Switch
• 30:18-34:03 – Best Games of the Weekend

Happy Sweet Sixteen, everybody. We hope that you’ve had some time to rest up from a crazy opening weekend and are starting to digest the match-ups heading our way on Thursday and Friday nights. These eight games look to be outstanding in different ways, both storyline and basketball, and to get you ready for this the Sweet Sixteen, the RTC Podcast crew invited all four of our regional correspondents back to break down each region in a bite-sized segment of this week’s edition. We welcome back Brian Otskey (East), Bennet Hayes (South), Walker Carey (Midwest) and Drew Murawa (West) to discuss what to watch for with this week’s games. There might even be some predictions. We’ll try to do an Elite Eight preview edition that will drop on Friday night/Saturday morning, so keep an eye out for that. This edition’s full rundown is below.

• 0:00-3:54 – Louisville-Kentucky Headlines Super Sweet Sixteen Schedule
• 3:54-8:09 – Other Sweet Sixteen Highlights
• 8:09-20:04 – Previewing Midwest Region with Walker Carey
• 20:04-36:17 – Previewing South Region with Bennet Hayes
• 36:17-48:03 – Previewing West Region with Andrew Murawa
• 48:03-59:40 – Previewing East Region with Brian Otskey
• 59:40-1:09:33 Revised Final Four Picks

It was a whirlwind of a four-day weekend, but the guys survived along with 16 schools still vying for a national championship, and found some time on Monday evening to review the weekend’s events. From Iowa State and North Carolina trading punches in an instant classic to Wichita State and Kentucky doing same, and everything else in between, Shane Connolly (@sconnolly114) walks us through all of the best action from over the weekend. Keep in mind that on Wednesday we will release our Sweet Sixteen preview pod featuring our correspondents who will be reporting from each of the four sites this weekend. The full rundown is below.

Be sure to add the podcast to your lineup on iTunes so that you’ll get all of our ongoing coverage throughout the NCAA Tournament.

• 0:00-8:39 – Iowa State Comes Up With Crazy Win Over North Carolina
• 8:39-13:07 – Baylor Brings Doug McDermott’s Career to a Premature End
• 13:07-13:50 – Less Than Exciting Orlando Games
• 13:50-21:34 – Kentucky Hands Wichita Its First Loss
• 21:34-28:50 – Wiggins and Kansas Go Out With a Whimper
• 28:50-31:26 – Dayton Downs Syracuse
• 31:26-34:40 – UConn Beats Former Conference Foe Villanova And What It Means for Both Conferences
• 34:40-36:14 – Top Teams Cruise
• 36:14-39:15 – Tennessee “Cinderella” Run as a Double Digit Seed
• 39:15-45:48 – Best Moments of the First Weekend

Here are some quick reflections on the first half of the first day of the NCAA Tournament. Two upsets, several blowouts and a spotty performance from #1 Florida… we’ll be doing these twice on Thursday/Friday and as time allows on Saturday/Sunday this weekend. Check back frequently!

• 0:00-2:38 – Dayton Defeats Ohio State, Moves on to Face Syracuse
• 2:38-5:47 – Randy Recaps Pittsburgh’s and Florida’s Wins
• 5:47-7:15 – Harvard Pulls Upset for 2nd Year in a Row
• 7:15-10:37 – Blowout Round Up/Takeaways from 1st half of day 1
• 10:37- Looking at the Night Games

We know you’ve been anxiously awaiting it, so here goes. The RTC Podblast is back, just in time for you to fill out your final bracket — the one that you’ve been secretly stashing away all week for the cool billion — with predictions about which teams are heading to the Elite Eight and beyond. Go ahead and pick your own upsets in the first three rounds — the real points are earned in the latter stages of the Tournament, and we’ve got you covered there. This season’s theme — believe in the teams you’ve always believed in, reject those that you don’t. We’ll find out how that works very soon. Enjoy the holidays, everyone! The full rundown is below.

• 0:00-2:40 – Lessons From Regional Previews
• 2:40-7:14 – Still Think the Bracket Is Wide Open?
• 7:14-8:22 – UCLA: The “Should Have Seen It Coming Team”
• 8:22-11:43 – South Region Predictions
• 11:43-17:04 – East Region Predictions
• 17:04-19:27 – West Region Predictions
• 19:27-22:05 – Midwest Region Predictions
• 22:05-26:00 – Picking a National Champion
• 26:00-28:13 – Dark Horse Picks
• 28:13-31:17 – What We Are Most Excited For in Round of 64/Wrap

And now, for the analysis. This is the second of two posts that we will be publishing today, the contents of which will contain two regional preview RTC Podblasts each — make sure to check out the East and Midwest podblasts that were released this morning. We continue the series this afternoon with a breakdown of the South Region bracket, inviting RTC national columnist Bennet Hayes (@hoopstraveler) in to talk through whether the Gators are really the best team in America. We follow that up with analysis of the West Region bracket, bringing national columnist/Pac-12 guru Andrew Murawa (@amurawa) in to discuss a west-coast flavored region that appears to be Arizona and the Rest. The full rundowns are below. Be sure to add the podcast to your lineup on iTunes so that you’ll get all of our ongoing coverage throughout the NCAA Tournament.

South Region

• 0:00-7:17 – Florida the Favorite
• 7:17-17:38 – UCLA, Kansas and Syracuse Try to Knock Off #1 Overall Seed
• 17:38-20:36 – VCU, Stephen 5. Austin and The Trendy #5/#12 Upset
• 20:36-25:18 – #7/#10 and #8/#9 Games
• 25:18-26:50 – Seeding Injustices in the South
• 26:50-27:58 – Great Potential Match-ups
• 27:58-30:52 – Bennet’s Pick for the South

West Region

• 0:00-6:03 – Arizona Hands Down Favorite
• 6:03-10:41 – Top Challengers For Arizona
• 10:41-13:28 – Match-ups For McBuckets
• 13:28-14:57 – Potential Upsets For the 4/5 Seeds
• 14:57-15:57 – Mis-seeded Teams
• 15:57-19:21 – #8/#9 and #7/#10 Games
• 19:21-21:22 – Dark Horse Sweet Sixteen Teams
• 21:22-23:23 – Predicting MOP
• 23:23-24:45 – Dream Match-ups
• 24:45-26:35 – Madness and Offense Could Reign Supreme in the West
• 26:35-28:59 – West Coast Teams in the West Region
• 28:59-30:31 – Non-Arizona Picks

And now, for the analysis. Welcome to the first of two posts that we will be publishing today, the contents of which will contain two regional preview RTC Podblasts each. We’ll start with a breakdown of the East Region bracket, inviting RTC national columnist Brian Otskey (@botskey) in to talk things through what appears to be a wild region with us. We follow that up with analysis of the Midwest Region bracket, inviting national columnist Walker Carey (@walkerRcarey) in to discuss a very difficult draw for #1 seed Wichita State. The full rundowns are below. Be sure to add the podcast to your lineup on iTunes so that you’ll get all of our ongoing coverage throughout the NCAA Tournament.

East Region

• 0:00-3:31 – Virginia as a #1 Seed and Region Favorite
• 3:34-10:25 – Which Top Seed is the Real Favorite
• 10:25-12:25 – Providence’s Big East Run – Hitting Their Stride or Peaking Too Early?
• 12:25-16:11 – 8/9 and 7/10 Games Preview
• 16:11-23:10 – Potential Upsets and Darkhorses
• 23:10-25:22 – Match-up Issues for Virginia
• 25:22-26:40 – Dream Match Ups
• 26:40-30:30 – Regional Games at MSG

Midwest Region

• 0:00-4:34 – Louisville as the Real Favorite in the Midwest
• 4:34-7:33 – UMass Prone For an Upset?
• 7:33-13:04 – Previewing 7/10 and 8/9 Game
• 13:04-13:53 – Conference Tournaments Impact on Midwest Region
• 13:53-16:35 – TJ Warren and the Fightin’ NC States
• 16:35-21:34 – Wichita State’s Realistic Expectations in this Region
• 21:35-23:28 – Predicting an MOP in the Midwest
• 23:28-25:49 – Most Exciting Thing About the Region
• 25:49-28:08 – Dream Match-Ups

There wasn’t a whole lot of controversy this year, but several decisions by the NCAA Selection Committee certainly raised some eyebrows. In an effort to briefly hit on a few of those points in the hours immediately following the bracket’s release this evening, the RTC Podblast crew, hosted by Shane Connolly (@sconnolly114) walked through a few quick n’ dirty reactions. The guys will return with detailed analyses of each of the four regions on Tuesday, followed by a number of quick-hit podblasts throughout the rest of the week. Make sure to add the RTC Podcast to your iTunes lineup so that you’ll automatically upload it on your listening device after we record. The full rundown is below.

• 0:00-4:55 – Initial Bracket Reactions/The Questionable Louisville Seeding
• 4:55- 6:02 – Other Bracket Surprises
• 6:02-6:53 – Teams With the Easiest Roads
• 6:53-8:33 – Regions Stacked With Talent
• 8:33-11:34 – Takeaways From Conference Tournaments Heading Into the Big Dance
• 11:34-12:25 – Virginia Gets Final #1 Seed
• 12:25-13:41 – Lower Seeds That Can Make a Run
• 13:41-15:30 – Upset Possibilities
• 15:30- Previewing The Week in RTC’s Coverage of March Madness (Bracket Nonsense, etc.)